“Are you in deep relationship? Do you notice the multitude of relationships that are happening right beneath our feet, and how they are interacting and cooperating in this complex web of life?” These are the questions that the Rev. Chantilly Mers asks of herself and others looking to reconnect to the land in Brooklyn, New York.
Two New Church New Way podcasts that dropped last month explore the spark behind the formation six years ago of Ebenezer Church in Linda Vista, California, a 1001 New Worshiping Community founded as a “People’s Cathedral,” a community that prioritizes tables over stages, schools over sanctuaries and soccer fields over offices.
Over the last two years, 74 leaders from the 1001 New Worshiping Communities movement have received $200,000 in sabbath and sabbatical grants that enabled them to fully engage in intentional sabbath practice over the course of 2 to 6 weeks, depending on the length of their tenure in their current ministry context.
As 1001 New Worshiping Communities celebrates 10 years of equipping spiritual entrepreneurs and church planters, the Rev. Nikki Collins, coordinator, and the Rev. Michael Gehrling, Associate for the Northeast Region and Assessments for 1001 New Worshiping Communities recognize the impact that their Discerning Missional Leadership (DML) assessments have had on the program’s evolution and successes. Both lifted up the impact that their lead assessor, Ann Steigerwald, has had.
Here’s the Rev. Dr. Beth McCaw’s current metaphor on where many church leaders find themselves these days: the pandemic has catapulted them into the air — maybe involuntarily — and they’re still airborne.
In the fall of 2010, two years of planning and work were coming to fruition. A group of leaders stood on the cusp of the opening of a new worshiping community. Many in the neighborhood were anticipating the arrival of a new gathering place and spiritual home. I had been shepherding the planning team and overseeing the ways we had been laying the groundwork for this launch. Because there was construction involved, the launch date was much like a birth. We knew roughly when it would happen, but not exactly. And as the days drew close, I felt very much like I did when the time for my children’s births approached. I was beyond excited and so very aware that life would never be the same once they arrived.
Committing substantial financial resources and deploying a team of creative, experienced church planters, the 220th General Assembly (2012) launched a new movement in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
There’s a worshiping community near Detroit where the average age is around 85, with many who attend pushing 90 and then some. It sounds like a congregation, like many others across the country, that is struggling and will likely fold in a few years, right? Wrong. This church body is bustling and growing steadily with no hint of slowing down.
As a lead-in to next week’s hybrid Evangelism and Immersion conferences, three people heading innovative ministries spoke Tuesday in The Scattered Church series, which provides Presbyterians with theological reflections and practical resources for socially distanced ministry.
In its final 1001 New Worshiping Community grant cycle for 2022 and on behalf of the Presbyterian Mission Agency, the Mission Development Resources Committee approved 17 Mission Program Grants to NWCs. Each recipient is listed below, followed by the presbytery and synod they belong to and a brief description of their ministry.
